Will Gillette get nicked or boosted by #MeToo ad?

If there was any doubt that heated debate and division can break out over nearly any topic in American life today, it’s been dispelled by the brouhaha over a new television ad by shaving giant Gillette.

The nearly two-minute spot, which was rolled out on social media on Monday, is the Boston-based company’s response to the #MeToo movement and its many permutations. It shows a string of scenes of boys being bullied and men acting boorishly or worse toward women, followed by moments when other men step up to do the right thing to curb or call out that behavior.

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The ad plays off the company’s longtime tagline, “The best a man can get,” by asking whether by bullying other males or harassing or objectifying women, “Is this the best a man can get?”

It’s sent some into a tizzy, denouncing the ad as the propaganda work of a fast-spreading war on men. TV host Piers Morgan tweeted that Gillette was “eager to fuel the current global assault on masculinity.”

The backlash, said Globe travel writer Christopher Muther, was all the proof that was needed of how necessary the ad’s message is. In a moving essay, Muther writes very personally about his reaction to the ad.

“Do you know who isn’t taking to Twitter to complain about the Gillette ad?” he asks. “Those of us who have been bullied, beat up, and sexually victimized. When I watched the ad, I didn’t see tanks gathering at the border of masculinity. I saw myself, and it nearly brought tears to my eyes.”

Muther describes being taunted in junior high and high school, enduring punches to the head, and figurative ones to the gut that may have hurt even more, with the constant refrain of “faggot” and “queer” ultimately driving him from his high school track team.

In today’s Herald, Jaclyn Cashman joins the backlash brigade. “That big sign on top of your building in Southie says ‘World Shaving Headquarters.’ Not ‘Social Justice Central,’” she writes about Gillette.

There were social media posts showing detractors throwing their Gillette products in the trash, and others urging a boycott of the company.

But Cashman’s fellow Herald columnist Jessica Heslam tells all the put-upon men and their women allies to take a chill pill.

“What exactly is so infuriating about a man telling another man not to publicly ogle and creep up behind a pretty woman he doesn’t know as she walks down the street?” she asks. “What exactly is so infuriating about a father stopping a group of bullying boys who are chasing and roughing up another boy?”

“Doesn’t this commercial illustrate everything we should be teaching our sons,” she asks.

Joanna Weiss, in a piece for WBUR, lands somewhere in between, endorsing the overall message of the ad, but saying it should have tried to persuade rather than preach.

As of this morning, there were nearly twice as many “dislikes” as “likes” on the YouTube posting of the ad, which has been viewed nearly 20 million times. The Wall Street Journal reports there is strong partisan divide in reaction to the ad, with 73 percent of Democrats giving it high marks compared with only 48 percent of Republicans.

Of course, along with the debate over the issues raised by the ad is the question of what it will mean for Gillette’s bottom line. The company says it’s sticking with the ad. The head of one brand advisory firm tells the New York Times the ad is “going to blow up in their face.” Others say it’s a smart move, especially as Gillette tries to fend off discount razor sellers.

If another company’s recent experience jumping into controversial issues is any indication, the ad may work well for Gillette. Nike also faced a backlash and talk of a boycott with its ad featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who gained fame by “taking a knee” during pregame national anthem ceremonies to protest racial injustice. The Journal says the footwear firm reported a 10 percent growth in sales in the most recent quarter.

–MICHAEL JONAS

BEACON HILL

Gov. Charlie Bakersays he will file legislation authorizing the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to launch a pro sports betting industry centered around existing casino licensees as well as unaffiliated newcomers. (CommonWealth)

House Speaker Robert DeLeo defended his handling of claims of inappropriate conduct against Rep. Paul McMurtry. (Boston Globe) Sen. Becca Rausch and Rep. Lindsay Sabadosafiled a bill to create an independent commission to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct on Beacon Hill in the wake of the allegations against the Dedham Democrat. (Boston Herald)

Mayor Marty Walsh announced plans for a $28 million upgrade of Boston Common. (Boston Globe)

Boston planning chief, Sara Myerson, is leaving after three years on the job. (Boston Globe)

The Salem News, in an editorial, sees signs of hope on the city’s waterfront.

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

BuzzFeed reports that President Trump directed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about talks to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, and suggests that such an allegation could be part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

Carter Wilkie, in a book review, explains how American leaders often get John Winthrop’s famous city on a hill speech wrong. (CommonWealth)

ELECTIONS

Former state rep Jim Lyons of Andover is elected chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party. (Eagle-Tribune) Lyons earned 47 votes, edging out Massachusetts GOP treasurer Brent Andersen, who had 30. (MetroWest Daily News) Lyons said he would have a lot of fun going after the top-down Democratic leadership in the Legislature. (Lowell Sun)

Lowell Sun columnist Peter Lucashas an interesting take on Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. He says the mayor is hearing political footsteps and has to move up or out, but Lucas says Boston mayors don’t fare well trying to go statewide.

There are now 10 potential candidates in the March 12 recall election for mayor of Fall River, including embattled incumbent Jasiel Correia, who is under federal indictment. (Herald News)

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Former Boston city councilor Tito Jackson, now head of a cannabis company, makes the pitch for a Mattapan marijuana store. (Boston Globe)

In another coup for booming Somerville, Puma said it will site its North American headquarters at Assembly Row. (Boston Globe)

Steven Tolman, the president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, says National Grid’s six-month lockout did not break the steelworkers union. (CommonWealth)

EDUCATION

The Globe rolls out an ambitious, multimedia project looking at what’s become of Boston high school valedictorians years after their graduation. It’s a sobering tale.

The Boston School Departmentsays it’s reconsidering the recent announcement that it will begin enforcing a policy banning anyone from the city’s high schools once they turn 22 years old. (Boston Globe)

Worcester is struggling to find common ground on school sex education. (Telegram & Gazette)